Fellow Spaniard Samuel Sanchez, Contador's nearest challenger going into the decisive final day, finished third, 45 seconds behind.

CNN: Contador wraps up Tour of Basque Country

Rebellin, celebrated his 37th birthday by finishing second behind Spain's Samuel Sanchez in the road race at the Olympics.

BBC: Positive Beijing tests confirmed

The 34-year-old knows the terrain well around Varese but will have to fend off the challenge of Oscar Freire and his powerful Spanish squad, which includes Vuelta Espana winner Alberto Contador, Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez and UCI ProTour winner Alejandro Valverde.

BBC: Cooke leads GB Worlds challenge